Inside Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea appointment and why Liverpool did not turn to manager seeking ‘mentality monsters’

It is rare for an FA Cup final to feel like a sideshow to the main story, but that is the scenario in which Chelsea found themselves at Wembley on Saturday.

Xabi Alonso’s leading candidacy to succeed the sacked Liam Rosenior was the dominant talking point ahead of the game, to the extent that even interim head coach Calum McFarlane’s decision to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation against Manchester City was viewed within the prism of the system the Spaniard had implemented to spectacular success at Bayer Leverkusen.

In the hours leading up to kick-off, it became clear that the appointment was near. Shortly after the final whistle, The Athletic revealed that a total agreement had been reached for Alonso to join Chelsea ahead of next season. The following morning, less than 12 hours after losing their seventh consecutive domestic cup final, Chelsea officially announced his arrival on a four-year contract.

“His appointment reflects the club’s belief in his broad set of experiences, coaching quality and game model, leadership attributes, character and integrity, which were key to the decision to ask him to help lead the next phase of Chelsea’s journey,” the club’s announcement read.

Alonso added: “Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football and it fills me with immense pride to become manager of this great club.”

Confirmation of the news sparked consternation within the Liverpool fanbase but has generated considerable excitement among Chelsea supporters, some of whom have been driven to protest this season against the club’s BlueCo ownership consortium and sporting leadership.

BlueCo have hired and parted with four permanent head coaches in as many years. Alonso is the first manager they have appointed, at the end of a search which began with “a process of self-reflection” in the days following Rosenior’s departure last month and accelerated over the last three weeks, with several candidates considered.

Every individual consulted by The Athletic for this article spoke anonymously to protect relationships. The key points include:

• Alonso was the front-runner throughout, though outgoing Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola also impressed the Chelsea hierarchy during talks.
• Chelsea offered Alonso the title of manager in recognition of his experience, track record and leadership qualities.
• Liverpool never pursued Alonso because they still believe in Arne Slot, who was their preferred candidate to succeed Jurgen Klopp and who they felt to be a much better fit for their squad in terms of style and formation.
• Alonso sought clarification on the club’s sporting structure and signalled his desire to build a team of “mentality monsters” at Stamford Bridge.
• Chelsea are targeting at least two starting-calibre signings in this summer’s transfer market, with proven talent set to be prioritised.

Alonso’s decision to accept Chelsea’s offer provides fresh and timely impetus for a BlueCo project that has endured a barrage of criticism in recent months, as the fourth year of their ownership looks very likely to end with no Champions League qualification nor trophies won.

Chelsea’s statement announcing Rosenior’s departure on April 22 signed off with a tone of self-aware contrition unusual in coach-sacking communiques.

“As the club works to bring stability to the head coach position, we will undertake a process of self-reflection to make the right long-term appointment,” the final paragraph read.

In the days that followed, according to Chelsea sources, honest discussions were held within the hierarchy to determine what lessons could be learned from a season that had unravelled, and what was needed in the dugout and on the pitch to ensure that mistakes were not repeated and the expectations of ownership and supporters could be met.

But football moves quickly. Shortly after McFarlane led Chelsea past Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley in the first match of his second interim stint of the season, the club ramped up their search for Rosenior’s successor, having compiled a shortlist of serious candidates.

Chelsea’s vacancy quickly prompted links with a flurry of high-profile names, some more credible than others.

Cesc Fabregas did not take long to publicly reaffirm his happiness at Como. Sources at Stamford Bridge swiftly played down reports from Spain that claimed they had approached Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez. Filipe Luis sparked speculation by being pictured in London with Thiago Silva, but the former Flamengo coach is still working towards obtaining the UEFA Pro License to coach in England or Europe.

Then there were the trio of imminent Premier League free agents: Iraola, Marco Silva and Oliver Glasner. Of the three, it was Iraola who gained the most traction in Chelsea’s coaching search, on the strength of his remarkable achievements at Bournemouth. He was approached and impressed, though there were concerns about the radical departure his style of football would represent from the work of Enzo Maresca and Rosenior.

Chelsea were impressed with Bournemouth’s Andoni Iraola (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

But it was Alonso, available following the brutal end of his bruising tenure at Real Madrid in January, who was the front-runner from the start. He had been on Chelsea’s radar since the summer of 2024, when, basking in the glow of leading Leverkusen to their first-ever Bundesliga title as undefeated champions and losing just one of 53 matches in all competitions, he was the most coveted young coach in Europe.

Chelsea had expected him to join one of Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Liverpool that summer. He opted to wait another 12 months and take the big job at the Bernabeu in 2025. The speed and manner of his sacking in the Spanish capital — he lasted less than eight months in the post — did nothing to dampen their interest in hiring him this time around.

Alonso’s glittering CV as a player and extraordinary achievements at Leverkusen preceded him, but his leadership qualities, professionalism and vision for building a winning culture shone through in the early discussions. Chelsea sources say it was the club that suggested giving him the title of manager rather than head coach, in recognition of those attributes.

Style of play was also an important consideration. Alonso is viewed as being of the same school of coaching as Maresca — inspired by Guardiola’s positional play approach — offering a measure of continuity on the pitch. One club source voiced a desire to avoid the kind of jarring transition represented by Chelsea moving from Antonio Conte to Maurizio Sarri in the summer of 2018, necessitating big changes to the squad.

With talks reaching an advanced stage, Alonso travelled to London last week. He took precautions to avoid being seen in the city but could not prevent news of his status as Chelsea’s preferred candidate becoming public knowledge, leading to a fresh outcry in the red half of Merseyside from Liverpool fans disaffected with Slot.

Some Liverpool fans wanted Xabi Alonso to replace Arne Slot (Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

Alonso is beloved in Liverpool, but senior club sources insist his candidacy for the manager’s job at Anfield has always been overstated.

He was not offered the role two years ago; at the time, he made it clear that he wanted to lead Leverkusen into the Champions League. A data-led search for Klopp’s successor yielded Slot and Ruben Amorim as the two top candidates, and Slot, the clear first choice, showed great desire for the job and delivered the Premier League title in his first season in England.

There is a belief at Liverpool that this achievement has been underplayed and Slot retains their faith, despite this season’s struggles.

Liverpool’s stance gave Chelsea a free run at Alonso and, with the Spaniard signalling mutual interest, they moved quickly to secure his appointment.

Alonso’s decision to effectively rule himself out of coaching vacancies at Liverpool and Bayern in 2024 marked him out as a young coach determined to move at his own pace and exercise extreme caution when weighing up his next career move. Viewed within that context, his decision to commit to Chelsea and BlueCo has raised some eyebrows.

But this was not a process absent any due diligence. Chelsea sources say Alonso had questions about the unique sporting structure and decision-making process at Stamford Bridge. He had several meetings with the club’s sporting leadership to clarify their various responsibilities and how they serve the team. The fact that he subsequently opted to accept the club’s offer is the most powerful sign that his questions were answered to his satisfaction, and sources say all parties are fully aligned.

Sources close to Alonso say it was particularly important for him to be confident that he would have real influence and a voice at Chelsea after his experience at Real Madrid, where he did not feel the support of the club hierarchy. He interpreted BlueCo’s offer of a four-year contract and agreement for him to bring his backroom staff to Stamford Bridge as further signs of faith in his plan.

Chelsea’s sporting leadership team is not going to change. BlueCo are happy with the division of labour that sees Paul Winstanley handle transfer and contract negotiations, Laurence Stewart function as more of a technical director, Joe Shields and Sam Jewell lead talent identification and recent addition Dave Fallows is in charge of data, scouting and player background checks.

Winstanley, Stewart, Shields and Jewell led the process that resulted in Alonso’s appointment, with Fallows — who is still integrating to Chelsea following his appointment in November — playing a supporting role. Contrary to some reports, he and the Spaniard did not overlap at Liverpool and had no prior relationship.

Club sources insist that no Chelsea head coach has ever had signings forced upon them against their will, and all have been consulted on targets. But while Alonso is not being handed the keys to the club, his background and position will grant him more credibility and influence than any of his BlueCo era predecessors on transfers and other strategic football decisions.

“From my conversations with the ownership group and sporting leadership, it is clear we share the same ambition,” Alonso added in Chelsea’s statement announcing his arrival. “We want to build a team capable of competing consistently at the highest level and fighting for trophies.

“There is great talent in the squad and huge potential at this football club, and it will be my great honour to lead it. Now the focus is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies.”

According to Chelsea sources, Alonso spoke during his discussions with the club of his desire to build a team of “mentality monsters” at Stamford Bridge, borrowing a famous Klopp expression. Mentality has been identified internally as a key area of improvement for a young squad that has consistently racked up unnecessary yellow and red cards over the last three years and struggled to deal with on-pitch setbacks in recent months.

Many of those “mentality monsters” must be cultivated by Alonso, but there is a recognition that some may need to be brought in from outside. Chelsea are intending to sign at least two starting calibre players in this summer’s transfer market, with proven talent — in terms of mindset as well as skill — set to be prioritised.

Xabi Alonso wants Chelsea to develop a more robust mentality to on-field setbacks (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)

A lack of Champions League football next season may rule out one or two potential targets, but the identity of the new head coach is also expected to be a draw for others.

The make-up of Alonso’s backroom staff is an early sign of his willingness to work within the Chelsea structure. He is bringing four coaches who were with him at Real Madrid: long-term assistant Sebastian Parrilla, Alberto Encinas, Benat Labaien and fitness coach Ismael Camenforte Lopez. More may follow, but club appointments McFarlane, goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts and set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva are remaining to fill out his team.

BlueCo do not believe Chelsea is a difficult environment for a coach to work in, contrary to the view of many outside the club and the record of coaching instability at Stamford Bridge over the last four years. Mauricio Pochettino and Maresca both publicly expressed frustrations in their final weeks. There is confidence at the club that Alonso’s tenure will be a different story.

Only time will tell, but Chelsea’s decision to target and success in recruiting Alonso are in themselves indications of meaningful change at Stamford Bridge.

Alonso was not at Wembley, and he is not expected to attend either of Chelsea’s final two Premier League matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland. Chelsea sources say he does not want to be a distraction, though it is inevitable that the thoughts of many inside and outside the club will naturally project forward to what his team could look like next season.

The leadership group in Chelsea’s first-team squad were informed of Alonso’s impending arrival shortly after the FA Cup final, and all the players were told before the official announcement. The reaction from the squad — many of whom were deeply unconvinced by Rosenior and some of whom went public with their reservations about the BlueCo project in recent months — has been described as incredibly positive.

McFarlane revealed in his press conference to preview Chelsea’s game with Tottenham on Tuesday that Alonso had texted him. “It’s really exciting,” he said of the appointment. “He’s a great coach with massive pedigree. He’s had a really good career so far, winning major trophies. He also had a great playing career.

“He’ll have a lot of respect from everyone and it’s a really exciting appointment for the club. We’re all looking forward to working with him.”

Alonso will formally start his new job on July 1, but securing his commitment now allows Chelsea to approach a pivotal summer with greater clarity and renewed momentum. There is a lot of work ahead to put the BlueCo project back on an upward trajectory, but the recruitment of one of European football’s most exciting managers is a powerful statement of intent.